Which Spanish conquistador led the expedition that destroyed the Aztec Empire?

Hernán Cortés led the Spanish expedition that brought about the fall of the Aztec Empire. Cortés arrived in Mexico in 1519 and combined military force, political maneuvering, and alliances with Indigenous peoples who opposed Aztec rule.

After landing on the Gulf Coast, Cortés advanced toward Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, with a relatively small Spanish force. His allies included the Tlaxcaltecs and other communities that resented the Aztec Empire’s demands for tribute and warfare. Doña Marina, also known as La Malinche, served as a crucial interpreter and intermediary. Cortés entered Tenochtitlan in November 1519 and encountered the ruler Moctezuma II.

The Spanish were temporarily expelled during the conflict remembered as La Noche Triste, but Cortés returned with reinforcements and a much larger Indigenous alliance. After a prolonged siege, Tenochtitlan fell on 13 August 1521. Smallpox and other epidemic disease severely weakened the population, while internal divisions aided the Spanish campaign. Cortés is sometimes confused with Francisco Pizarro, who conquered the Inca Empire in South America, or Diego Velázquez, the Cuban governor who initially authorized and then opposed Cortés’s expedition.